SHANE WHALEN -                 Lead Vocals

Lead Vocalist for Sweet Spot is none other than Toronto, Canada's finest, Shane Whalen... aka "Slim Shaney". 

For influences, there is: Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker... wait... wrong influences. Musically speaking, Shane is open to listening and learning from all the greats, the not-so-greats and everything in between.  To mention some – Alice In Chains, Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue, Rush, Sir Ozzy the Prince of Darkness himself, Sublime, Kelly Clarkson (just checking to see if you are reading this) and so on and so on.

When Shane is not harassing club owners and soundmen, he can often be found walking on the beach, holding hands at sunset, playing with puppies and watching movies that make you "think".  

Unfortunately, that is all the information we have available about Shane at this time. The rest of the members of Sweet Spot are still in the process of interrogating him and running a background check to see if he is still wanted by the Canadian authorities.

 

 

JOHNNY PHIVE -                Lead Guitar

John "I don’t do interviews" Joyce.  As the lead guitarist for Sweet Spot, John has little time for interviews (as this bio will show) so we have taken the liberty of artistic embellishment.   

John is a Philadelphia native; Go Eagles, Phillies and Flyers.  As a former member of Aunt Clair’s Liver and Clutch Cargo, he has played his way up and down the East Coast, from Maryland to Vermont… apparently taking a wrong turn somewhere and ending up in Florida?!?  Regardless of the reason, Sweet Spot is most gratuitous for his kick-ass guitar playing.  It’s obvious his influences are many, including Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend, Brian Setzer (by the way, Setzer called, he wants his sideburns back), SRV, and Slash.  

His preference for equipment: Les Paul, Stratocaster & Gretsch guitars through Marshall amplification. “What more could you need?”  When you witness John's intimidating command of the six string....we're confident you'll agree he doesn’t need another damn thing!

 

JEFF THAL -                       Drums

So two drummers walk into a bar…which is actually kind of funny, because you would think that the second guy would have seen the first one do it. But seriously, this is one drummer that you can’t confuse with a piece of sheet music. Jeff started banging on the drums by the age of 10. After studying his craft for eight years under the guidance of two separate jazz/big band drum instructors, Jeff decided to apply his reading skills, stick control, timing, dynamics, etc, to his real passion... ROCK!! Utilizing the techniques he developed with his rock playing gives him that extra "edge", allowing him to think in a more unorthodox fashion.

Playing mostly progressive rock with his brother Ron while growing up, they founded the popular New York based band “BUMBLEFOOT”. Jeff also played around the NY area doing originals, covers, and studio session work. He has been reviewed in magazines such as Modern Drummer and DRUM! Some quotes from his reviews include "an endless supply of chops" -  DRUM! Magazine, 2000, "a blend of blazing technique, creative musical ideas, and sense of groove" - Modern Drummer, 2000. 

If you want to check out an amazing, hard hitting drummer that tends to steal the spot light at any given moment, check out Jeff and his winning smile with Sweet Spot.

 

ROB FINAN -        

Bass Guitar

Originally from Jersey, Rob traveled around the country with his father, also a musician. He landed in Chicago for awhile and eventually made himself at home in the Tampa Bay area. Rob has played with various groups, recording on albums such as; "The Music Remains The Same" The Led Zeppelin Tribute, "Slave To The Power" The Iron Maiden Tribute, "Consortium Project 2" Continuum In Extremis, "Consortium Project 3" Terra Incognita, & "Ian Parry" Visions.

After learning to play several instruments including guitar, saxophone and flute, Rob began songwriting and his original music, "A•N•B" was born. 

A few influences: Prince, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Jaco Pastorius, Joni Mitchell, The Sundays, Bob Marley & Iron Maiden.......

Rob survived his initiation and is now a vital part of Sweet Spot! Come check out Rockin' Robbie the Bass-Playing Tsunami, as we call him. And be sure to look for his interesting tattoo! <wink>

"Family, Friends & Music is The Peace & Love I breathe."